The Island of Dr Drakken
by kriitikko
Summary: AU fic. Ron Stoppable, after surviving a plane crush, ends up on a remote island where Dr Drakken is conducting his strange experiments. Based on H.G. Wells' book.
1. From Bad to Worse

**Good morning/day/evening to you who are reading this!**

**This is my first Kim Possible fic and it is AU (alternate universe). Those who have read my works before know I love doing crossovers AUs, meaning I like taking characters of one fandom and place them to the world of another. Well in this case my story is based, or rather inspired, on H.G. Wells' book "The Island of Dr. Moreau" from late 1800's. If you've read this book you have a clue what the story is going to be like, if not that's cool, keep reading. **

**Honour to where it belongs, Duff Killigan's heavy Scottish accent in this chapter is not done by me. I'm from Finland, so English alone is already a challenge, I can't do accents. The Scottish accent for me was done by amazing Lorien Urbani. Thank you. **

**This is NOT Ron/Drakken fic! I repeat, NOT RON/DRAKKEN FIC. They're merely the two main characters, okay. **

**As said, I'm from Finland, grammar mistakes are almost bound to happen. I try my best though. **

**Disclaimers: I do not owe any of the characters from Kim Possible series. I make no money with this fic. **

CHAPTER 1: FROM BAD TO WORSE

_Somewhere in the South China Sea:_

A certain 21 years old young man with brown eyes, blonde hair and freckles had lived his whole life trying to be positive. When things looked bad he had always found a ray of light. When everyone was too serious or moping around he found a way to make them ease off. There was nothing in the world that some Mexican food and video games couldn't make better.

But even Ron Stoppable had to admit, the situation he found himself in didn't look too good.

It had been the 1st of February when the plane he had been in was caught in the sudden storm. The plane had crashed to the South China Sea and Ron had managed to get into a rubber lifeboat with two Asian men whom he had been travelling with. The storm had given them ride of a lifetime but somehow they managed to stay in the small boat.

The next day weather cleared and all they could see around them was endless sea and sky. There was no cloud in the sky to protect them from the merciless sun and no oars to row with. They were on a castaway. They had only very little water and even less food with them.

They ran out of food the second day. Of water the fourth day.

On the sixth day the other of the two men Ron was with said out loud what had only been thought until then. That one should be sacrificed so other two could survive. While Ron had always had pretty open mind when it came to food – unless cooked by a certain redhead he knew – that was one meal he was against. The two other men however made it clear that he was in it no matter what.

They used an empty water bottle to spin and see who should take one for the team. The bottle pointed other of the two Asian men, but being physically strongest of the three he refused to submit to his fate. A fight broke down between the two Asian men and they both fell over board to the sea. Neither surfaced.

On the eight day Ron, feeling beaten and near death, laid on the small rubber boat and let himself only think of a face of a young woman with green eyes and red hair. If he was going to die then at least with a pleasant thought.

"KP…" he rasped with a quiet voice.

A shadow fell over his face and Ron moved his head just a little to see what it was. It seemed like a flag.

Before he lost his consciousness he both cried and laughed.

#####

The first thing Ron became aware of when the darkness released him was that he wasn't on the little rubber boat anymore. Instead he was lying on a relatively comfortable bed. Sun was no longer shining on him but he was surrounded by cool and blissful shadows. And he could smell something familiar… like Mexican food.

"Is this heaven?" he rasped out aloud.

"Hold and behold! It's alive".

Ron turned his head somewhat to see more around. He was in a small cabin and next to him on a chair sat a woman of about 10 years older than him. She had long black hair, green eyes that seemed mischievous, green shirt, black pants and boots. She was definitely beautiful woman with a slim figure.

The woman took a glass of water from the table and held it close to his lips. "Drink carefully, I don't want you to throw up all over the floor".

After Ron had few gulps of heavenly water he turned his attention back to the woman.

"Who are you?" he weakly asked.

"Name is Miss Go. You?"

"Ron Stoppable. What day is it?"

"9th of February, we picked you up yesterday. I was certain you weren't going to make it".

"What ship is this?"

"A trading vessel called _Golfer_. It's heading to Hong Kong".

Ron's eyes winded a bit. "Hong Kong? I'm in luck. That's where I was heading" he said and smiled for the first time in days.

"Our plane fell down… two other men were with me but they… they…" Ron tried to tell but the horrible memory of those two men sinking under the surface was too much for him.

"Take it easy. I don't want all the work I put on you go to waste now".

Ron calmed down a bit, breathing in and out few times.

"Count yourself lucky that you survived. I heard from radio that only eight people were rescued from that plane crash" Miss Go said.

"I guess I have for you to owe my life then".

"Don't dwell on it. I had absolutely no need to take care of you. I was only bored" she said. Ron couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

"Do you have some means to send a message?" he asked.

"Sure, we got an old radio here. Will take time but it can be used to send messages. You want send something to KP?"

Ron stared at Miss Go with a disbelieving look. "How do you…?"

"That's all you've been muttering in your sleep the past 30 hours. Is KP your little sweetheart?" Miss Go asked with an obvious teasing in her voice.

"My girlfriend Kim, yes. We were supposed to meet in Hong Kong. She's doing humanitarian work in Asia".

"A real goody goody princess then". Miss Go turned away from Ron for a while and took pen and paper. "Alright. To who and where?"

"To Wade Load, Middleton, Colorado".

"Not to Kimmy then?"

"I don't know where Kim might be now. Wade will be able to contact her anywhere in the world".

"Okay, and the message?"

"Just tell him I'm alive, you picked me up and I'll arrive to Hong Kong with this ship".

Miss Go wrote something down to paper. "Got it. You just rest now and I'll get you something to eat when I get back".

A hopeful look came to Ron's face. "I can eat solid food?"

"Because of me, yeah. If your arms feel weird it's because of all the injections I had to give to you".

"You're a doctor?"

"Nah, but I've worked with one for few years now, and in my line of work it is good to know how to treat someone".

Ron was about to ask what Miss Go's line of work was, but she had already stood up and walked to door. The small moment door was open before she closed behind her Ron could hear strange sounds coming from outside of cabin. Like animals barking and roaring.

#####

To his surprise and delight, Ron felt how his strength returned to him in a record time. Well, in all truthfulness he still felt like a little wind could hand his ass to him, but he felt confident enough to stand up and walk a little.

The next morning Ron walked with Miss Go on the deck. He had shaved his chin and gotten a new shirt, courtesy of one of the crew members. The crew, as far as Ron could tell, consisted on Chinese, Taiwanese and Korean people. A real mix pack, when adding that Miss Go had told him the boat had a Scottish captain.

When they came out to the deck Ron realized what the strange sounds he had heard were. There were at least dozen cages on the deck that had different animals in them. Lions, tigers, wolves, dogs, rabbits and monkeys. The last one made Ron flinch.

"Scared of monkeys?" Miss Go asked, with an obvious humor in her voice.

"Never really liked them" Ron admitted. "What is this exactly, a floating zoo?"

"Kind of. The ship is going to drop me and this cargo of to an island before continuing to Hong Kong".

"What island?"

"That's whit eh'd loch tae ken". (1)

Both Ron and Miss Go turned around. A small heavy set man with bald head and red beard approached them. By the sound of his accent Ron figured this was the captain of the _Golfer_.

"Ah, morning Captain Killigan. How nice to see you up again" Miss Go said, her voice filled with sarcasm.

Ron could sense bad mood between the two and tried to step in. "Thank you Captain for picking me…" he started but was interrupted by Killigan.

"Who th'heel ur ye?" (2)

Before Ron could answer Miss Go spoke. "This is Mr. Stoppable, we picked him up a day before yesterday".

"You picked some driftwuid fur mah boat withit tellin' me?" (3)

"I did tell you, but you were too drunk to understand what I was saying".

"Blooter'd? Weel, wa wouldnae ah be? Watch at mah deck, it's aw mingin coz of these damn animals!" (4)

"Our contract was that you'd take me and these animals to my destination".

"Aye, tae some islain. But whit islain is it? It's nae oan th'map an' ye refuse tae teel me. I'll hae ye ken wench, ye hink ah dunnae kinn whose islain it is, dornt ye?" (5)

Killigan suddenly had a very coy look on his face.

"Weel, ah dae! It's Dr. Drakken's islain, an' it stinks frae one end ay th'sea tae th'other!" (6)

Ron had no clue what the captain was going on about but when he turned to look at Miss Go he took an involuntary step back. Miss Go's face had suddenly turned from the usual teasing to downright dark and dangerous. Her smile was gone and she gave Killigan a hard glare.

"Captain Killigan" she spoke low but her voice was demanding "I would advise you to forget what you just said and never to repeat it to others. Is that understood?"

Killigan's smile disappeared and he gulped. For a moment it looked like he wanted to argue but gave up instead. Instead he shook his and said "Weel, we'll be arrivin' tae 'at place later thes forenicht. That' aw". (7)

As Killigan walked away, mumbling something under his breath, Ron turned back to Miss Go.

"What was…?"

"Let's go sit over there. These animals won't smell over there" she said interrupting him.

Ron was curious to know what the argument just had been, but Miss Go's attitude told him it would be better not to pry.

#####

Later that evening, as Captain Killigan had said, they arrived to the island. As Ron looked around himself he couldn't see a single other island anywhere in sight. This island was right in the middle of nowhere.

The island itself was covered by thick jungle, making it impossible to see what was in there. Ron did however see a small dock on the beach and some smoke coming from the island, indicating that it was inhabited.

Captain was screaming his orders to men who were unloading the cages off the ship.

"Gie a move oan, wll ye? Ur I'll flin' th'whole boorichie tae th'sea!" (8)

Ron looked to the side of the ship where a small boat from the island had come. The crewmembers of the ship were loading the cages to the boat, where Ron could see two men.

First man was tall and muscular, a real gorilla of a man. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt, had blonde mullet hair and heavy moustache. When looking closer his hands, Ron could tell his whole body was actually covered by hair so light it couldn't be seen from far. Ron couldn't put his finger around it, but when looking the man's face, body and movements, he seemed to give a strong impression of deformity, like something in his wasn't as it was suppose to be. But for the life of him Ron couldn't tell what exactly it was.

The second man wasn't as tall or muscular. He was man in his mid forties, with a black hair on pony tail and a nasty looking scar under his right eye. He was dressed in old blue suit. His eyes were covered by dark rounds and he had a unibrow. While the tall muscle guy was working to get the animal cages to the boat, he was just sitting, giving instructions once in a while.

Miss Go lowered herself from the ship to the boat. "Hello, Dr. D! Miss me?"

The man, Ron was convinced he was Dr. Drakken, merely grunted. "We're all ready to set go".

Ron was about to wave his goodbyes to Miss Go, whom he considered his lifesaver, when he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see two men standing behind him. Before he could ask what the trouble was, the men picked him up from his arms and legs and threw Ron, who was still too weak from his ordeal to fight against, over board and into the water.

Ron quickly appeared to surface and tried to take hold of the closest thing he could, in this case the small boat. The mullet haired big man noticed Ron and picked him up to the boat with one hand.

"Hey, Captain Killigan, I think you dropped something!" Miss Go shouted to Killigan.

"Weel, finders keepers, missy!" was the Scotchman's reply. (9)

"What's the fool talking about?" Drakken asked from Miss Go.

"I think he pushed the boy for us".

Ron was a bit dizzy of what had happened but when he saw the ship starting to leave he jumped up. "Captain, I need to get to Hong Kong!"

"Weel, ye can sweem, cannae ye?" Killigan laughed. (10)

"Killigan, take this man with you! You are under the marine law!" Drakken shouted.

"Ah picked heem up an' left fur mah first port, that's aw aam required tae dae!" (11)

"But I can't have him onboard!" Drakken was furious now, even desperate.

"'en flin' heem overboard, that's whit ah did!" (12)

The ship was already moving and those on the boat could only watch as _Golfer _left them.

Drakken turned to Ron, his face so twisted with fury that Ron feared he might actually throw him off also.

"Er, hi!" Ron tried, with a big forced smile.

Dr. Drakken looked anything but pleased.

**To be continued…**

**I added the "translations" for Killigan's heavy accent in case it's difficult to understand. Lorien Urbani, you are so weird, but I like you. **

**Translations:  
**

1: That's what I'd like to know

2: Who the hell are you?

3: You picked some driftwood to my boat without telling me?

4: Drunk? Well why wouldn't I be? Look at my deck, it's all filthy because of these damn animals!

5: Yes, to some island. But what island is it? It's not on the map and you refuse to tell me. I'll have you know wench, you think I don't know whose island it is, don't you?

6: Well, I do. It's Dr. Drakken's island and it stinks from one end of the sea to the other!

7: Well, we'll be arriving to that place later this evening. That's all.

8: Get a move on it, will you? Or I'll throw the whole bunch to the sea!

9: Well, finders keepers, missy!

10: Well, you can swim, can't you?

11: I picked him up and left to my first port, that's all I'm required to do!

12: Then throw him overboard, that's what I did!

**This chapter was just set up, things will really get a move on in next chapter. Tell me what you like, reviews are always welcome. I don't plan on making this a long fic, about 7-10 chapters maybe. **


	2. The Island

**Hey there! **

**Thanks for those who reviewed: CajunBear73, PengyChan and Lorien Urbani. **

**I'll post chapter 3 some time next month and depending on the feedback will decide if I'll keep continuing with this little project. **

**Disclaimers: see chapter 1. **

CHAPTER 2: THE ISLAND

To say that the boat ride to the island was awkward would be an understatement. Drakken had not spoken a word during the whole time, instead being quiet and in thought. Miss Go had whispered to Ron that this was a good sign since otherwise he would be shouting and ranting and probably had thrown Ron to the sea.

Ron sat silently at the end of the boat, watching as the jungle island became closer and closer to them. The big man with mullet was walking back and forth in front of the animal cages, looking either nervous or excited. The animals seemed to dislike his precense, for they backed away in their cages whenever he was close.

"Edward, get away from there!" Miss Go shouted, having noticed this also.

As much as Ron tried he couldn't figure out what it was in this Edward guy that seemed so strange. His face, the expression he would made, the light hair covering his body, the way he moved his limbs… it all seemed unnatural to Ron and gave away impression of some strong deformity. But Ron simply couldn't specify what it was.

When they finally arrived to the small dock, Ron could three men waiting for them. They were all dressed in only shirts and pants, which looked very worn out to him. The men themselves woke the same kind of reaction on Ron as Edward had. The two of the men were also covered by hair and one of them was strangely crouching. Third man had no hair but his skin was strangely pink. All of their faces and movements seemed, as Ron would so eloquently put it, wrong sick.

The men tied the boat to the dock and helped Dr Drakken and Miss Go out of it. When it came to Ron's turn, they did nothing except stared him with open curiosity and confusion.

A lashing sound was heard and all three men jumped around. Drakken stood on the dock with a whip in his hand.

"Help the young man up" he said very plainly.

Two men quickly took hold of Ron's arms, with unnecessary strength he thought, and pulled him off the boat. Once Ron was on dock Drakken turned to Edward who was still on boat.

"You're in charge, Edward. I want all the cages out of the boat by the time I'll drive back, you understand?"

"Seriously" grunted the mullet head.

Drakken instantly turned walking towards the beach. Miss Go followed without a word, giving Ron a little nudge to follow them. Ron looked around him and saw a wide sand beach that seemed to circle the island around its edges, just before the thick jungle started. On the beach there was a pickup truck waiting for them.

Drakken turned around and spoke to Ron. "Now, Mr…"

"Stoppable. Just call me Ron".

"Ron, you are here as an uninvited quest, you understand?"

"Of course".

"You may find some things strange here. I must rely on your caution while you are our visitor and to your silence when you leave".

"No trouble, sir, Ron-man can stay out of your way" Ron assured.

Miss Go didn't say anything, but it looked like Ron as if she really wanted to.

"Now, Mr… er, Ron, I fear you must go to the platform. There isn't room for three and I would not dare to ask Miss Go to go so…" Drakken said.

Miss Go rolled her eyes but smirked as well. Ron climbed to the platform as the other two got up to their seats. Ron took a last look behind to the dock and saw how Edward and other men were pulling the animal cages from the boat with an enormous strength.

The engine started and the truck drove towards the jungle. While the jungle was thick there was a road wide enough for the truck to drive on it, but it was very bumpy and Ron had to hold on tightly so he wouldn't be thrown off. He'd have enough of that already for a lifetime.

After a while the truck arrived to an enclosure that was surrounded by a fence. They stopped just long enough for the gate to open in front of them. It was opened from the inside of the enclosure and when Ron looked harder he could see couple people there, just as strange as the ones on the beach.

They drove in and Ron looked around himself. There were three different buildings in the enclosure. The main building had two stores and looked pleasant enough to be lived in. Second building was smaller and further off. Looking so modest Ron thought it might be storage. Third building was closer to main building and was very wide.

The truck stopped and Ron climbed off with a bit of a wobbly legs. Miss Go got off as well but Drakken remained seated in the driver's place.

"You must be tired after so many ordeals in such a little time. Miss Go will show you a room you can use. I must get back to beach" Drakken said and was already going before Ron truly understood all.

"Well, you heard the man, I'll show you where you can sleep" Miss Go said and started heading towards the main building.

As Ron walked after her, not knowing what else really to do, he spotted a small garden of flowers and plants next to the wide building. Ron didn't usually pay much attention to anything concerning biology but he had to stop and stare in wonder. The flowers were like nothing he had ever seen; mixture of different colors, shapes and sizes. They almost looked like out of a fairy tale.

"That's Dr. D's little hobby" Miss Go said, having noticed what Ron was looking. "When he needs a break from his work he relaxes by working with the plants".

_I wonder if I could take one of those for KP_, Ron thought but kept it for himself. He resumed walking after Miss Go and they started climbing stairs to upper stores balcony. Ron started to feel a little uncomfortable with nothing to say.

"So, er, what is it exactly that you people do here?" he asked.

Miss Go turned around so sharply that Ron nearly fell back in his steps. She smiled but her eyes were hard.

"Do yourself a favor and don't ask questions here. And keep away from there" she said and pointed to the wide building. "Less you know the happier you are, got it?"

Ron nodded.

"Good boy" she said and turned around. They walked to the very end of the balcony and she opened a door. "It's not much but I'm sure you'll be fine. All the rooms up here are empty. They used to belong to workmen who lived here before doctor sagged them all".

The room was empty, aside of small table and one person bed. Still, at least it wasn't constantly moving on waves.

"Now, doc said you'd better rest and I do agree. You've had hell of a couple of weeks behind you. Take your time and I'll see you later".

Miss Go turned to leave but Ron had to ask her. "How long do you think it'll take before I can leave?"

Miss Go shrugged her shoulders. "I honestly don't know. A plane can't land here and we do not have any regular ship traffic. Doctor doesn't like to advertise this island to too many people so… I don't know. But we'll figure something".

With that she walked the steps down and disappeared from his sight.

_She does have a point_, Ron thought and practically crashed to the bed. He was far from being totally okay after everything that had happened and he was still in a bit of a shock of how he had been left to this island. The climate was hot and he missed his home terribly. With all those thoughts, he closed his eyes and was out.

#####

When Ron came around, it was to the animal sounds.

He stood up from the bed, feeling slightly better and refreshed than he had before. Moving to the balcony, he saw that sun had turn from blue to red, indicating that he must have fallen asleep for at least couple hours. Down below he saw how the strange looking men were moving the last of the animal cages to the wide building. Both Drakken and Miss Go were there supervising everything.

Ron yawned and stretched his limps, when he suddenly felt like being watched. Turning his head towards the stairs he saw there a girl, no older than him. She had oriental features, black hair and was dressed in a simple white dress. She simply stood there, looking like she didn't know if she should go forward or not. She looked at him with curiosity.

Ron did the only thing he could think of to do. He raised his hand and smiled. "Hey!"

The girl turned around and ran away.

"Was it something I said?" Ron thought aloud, totally bewildered.

Walking also down, after a minute or so, Ron didn't see the girl anywhere. Instead Miss Go walked to him.

"Up and running again, eh?" she smirked. "We'll be eating inside soon, go wait for us there" she all but ordered and walked away again.

Shrugging and feeling he shouldn't argue, Ron walked inside the house. The room he walked in seemed to be parlor, with rather nice couch, couple arm chairs, TV that looked to be from prehistoric era and bookshelves.

The walls were mostly plain, except of one framed document hanging on a wall. After taking a closer look Ron realized that it was a college diploma from 1989, granted for Andrew Lipsky for his "remarkable study of genetic engineering", whatever that meant.

_That's a school word, I'm sure._

"My only trophy" a voice said behind of him and Ron turned around to see Dr. Drakken standing there, his hands behind his back. "The only recognition the great and glorious minds of the scientific academies ever gave to me".

Ron looked back at the diploma in confusion. "But it says here…"

"Drakken is merely a name I use here. It's safer than using one's own name" Drakken aka Andrew Lipsky explained. He turned around without looking at Ron. "Won't you join us for dinner?"

A rather embarrassing sound came from Ron's stomach and he followed the older man to the next room. This room was just as simple as the parlor with only a big dinner table middle of it. Miss Go and the girl Ron had seen previously were both sitting there already. The Asian girl held her head low, sitting very straight whereas Miss Go looked very relaxed and was already pouring some wine to her glass.

"Yori" Drakken said suddenly and the girl raised her head. "Yori, this is…" Drakken turned to Ron but stopped suddenly and stood there with a blank face.

Ron sighed. _He didn't bother to remember my name? _"Ron".

"Ron! That's right, this is Ron. And this is Yori. Yori, greet Ron".

Yori stood up from her chair and bowed her head. "Nice to meet you" she said with a shy voice. Her accent made her voice sound very eccentric in Ron's ears.

"Nice to meet you" Ron said and offered her his hand to shake. Yori stared the hand blankly, making Ron feel bit uncomfortable.

"Let's sit down" Drakken said.

The dinner was simply to say the least. Just some bread, salad and cheese.

"We do not eat meat or fish on this island. It's the law" Drakken said as he poured himself a glass of wine.

Miss Go snorted, as if having heard something amusing, whereas Yori seemed to stiffen up. Ron was merely confused. _Must be some inside joke_, he thought.

"It's alright. You know, with a little pepper and maybe some fruits this could be made into a delicious cheese salad".

Miss Go turned to Drakken. "I forgot to mention our visitor is a chef in training".

"An explorer of tastes, so to speak" Drakken said. "Wonderful. I like people with exploring minds. They are, I've found, more open for possibilities than others".

Ron merely smiled awkwardly, not really understanding what the man had just said. "Excuse me, doctor" he began "but how long do you think I shall remain your…quest?"

"Oh, we're going to have to work something soon. I do not like outsiders this close to my work. But it's not going to be easy either. This island doesn't officially belong to any of the countries on this sea, because they have frankly forgotten it is here. And I'd like to keep it that way. But we'll figure something".

Ron nodded his head, hoping he didn't look too depressed.

"You don't like it here?" Yori asked, with a soft, curios voice.

Ron didn't know what to answer. Of course he wanted to get back home, to his friends, folks and Kim. But the girl's question was so innocent he feared he might offend her in some way.

Drakken saved Ron from this problem by speaking. "I'm sure this will not be too horrible for you. While neither I nor Miss Go can keep you company, Yori will be your hostess here. She is lacking the company of young people so I'm sure you'll come along fine".

Now Ron's interest was woken. "Have you been here for long?" he asked from Yori.

"She's been here for six years now" Drakken answered for her. "I bought her here from Japan".

Ron's fork fell to his plate as he stared Drakken in wide eyed shock. _Bought her? _He was about to ask further when suddenly something jump to the table. It moved too fast for him to fully register what it was, but it was small, pink and had taken a piece of cheese from the table before disappearing.

Drakken and Miss Go both jumped up from their chairs and Yori dived under the table. A moment later she stood up holding something in her hands. Something that was wiggling very strongly. Ron could only see a pink tail moving.

Whatever the thing was, Drakken quickly took it from Yori and headed to the door. "Don't wait for me, continue eating!" he shouted as he dashed out.

Miss Go turned to Ron. "That's the price of living in a paradise jungle island. All kinds of rats jump to the table" she said and poured another glass of wine.

"What kind of animals are on this island, exactly?" Ron asked.

"All kinds, boy, all kinds" Miss Go said and chuckled to herself.

#####

The dinner was mostly eaten in silence. Ron didn't see Dr. Drakken during the rest of the evening anymore, and before he noticed it the sky had turned dark. Miss Go disappeared soon after that and Ron, being the gentleman, walked Yori to her room, which turned out to be and lower store of the main building. While Yori didn't say anything, she kept looking at him with the most curios eyes.

Ron dreamt that night of being back home and of Kim, her green eyes and red hair. The dram was turning from a good dream to a REALLY good dream, when Ron suddenly jolted awake. The sun was already high and atmosphere hot, but it hadn't been either of those that woke him.

It was those animal screams that woke him. They weren't like the ones he had heard yesterday. Not like the animals in cages. These sounded more like screams of pain.

Ron dressed up and left his room. He could instantly tell the screams were coming from the wide building where he was told not to go. Still, the screaming was absolutely terrible.

"You can't go there".

Ron turned to find Yori standing at the same place by the stairs he had first time seen her. She was holding a plate full of fruits.

"Breakfast" she said.

Ron grinned. "Thank you, Yori".

The girl blushed and turned her head away from him.

Another mighty wail of agony was heard.

"What exactly is doctor doing there?"

"You mustn't ask" Yori said while she kept her eyes on the ground. Ron sighed. _Yeah, yeah, I know. Less I know and all that. _

"Look, Yori…this is starting to be a bit uncomfortable. Is that noise going to keep up for long?" he pleaded.

Yori hesitantly looked him in the eyes. "Would…you like to go for a walk?"

Ron's mood brightened instantly. "I'd love to!" he grinned.

The two left the enclosure, walking the little road in the jungle. While the sun was burning down mercilessly, bringing back a chilling déjà vu for Ron that he was back in the little lifeboat in the middle of the sea, the jungle trees brought much desired relief.

Yori was as quiet as ever, and while Ron did feel uncomfortable, he decided to enjoy the many smells and colors the jungle offered. It was certainly a unique experience.

Yori suddenly turned to Ron. "Come, I want to show something" she said.

They walked off the road to the jungle. Ron tried his best to stay up with her, but the unsteady ground and huge tree vines made him nearly stumble with each step he took. Yori on the other hand walked with amazing easiness, never showing signs of uncertainty.

"Here" Yori said, waving her hand, showing first signs of excitement to Ron.

Ron followed her and they arrived to a pond. It was really like a scene from a fairy tale. The trees around were just wide enough apart to let sunlight shine directly to it. The surface was glimmering.

Yori jumped to a thick branch that was just above the surface. She stretched her hands and legs and basked in the sunlight. Ron walked to the edge of the pond and watched her. For the first time Ron saw her smile.

"You have a pretty smile" he said.

Just then something grabbed him by his ankle and pulled him into the pond.

**To be continued…**

**This is AU. That's why Yori is monstrously OOC. **

**Reviews are appreciated. **


	3. The Law

**Thanks for Uncanny12 and Lorien Urbani for reviews. **

**Disclaimers: see chapter 1. **

CHAPTER 3: THE LAW

When something suddenly pulls you from your leg under the water, you don't think it over rationally and calmly. You go to panic and all of your instincts kick in and try their best to tell you to get back to surface at once.

That's what happened to Ron Stoppable.

He didn't know what the thing that had pulled him to lagoon was and he didn't care either. All he knew was that it's strong and vicious. Ron could feel how the creature's claws sank into his shoulders as it pushed him deeper in the water. There was water in his mouth and throat, and his lungs were screaming for air.

Ron tried to push the creature back, his hands touching its scaled skin – was it a reptile or something? – but he couldn't make it back away, it was too strong. In the dark Ron couldn't make out anything but the two red eyes staring into him.

_I survive days of drifting in the ocean only to be drowned in a pond, _came up from his incoherent mind. _Sorry, Kim._

Ron was just about to lose his strength completely when sudden splash from above announced the third presence in the lagoon. The creature suddenly let go of Ron and he felt something else pulling him to the above.

When Ron entered the surface he started coughing, desperate to get the water out of his lungs and some air in. Yori helped him off the water and to the land. He doubled over and coughed water out of himself. His shoulders were stinging and bleeding, with nasty claw marks on them. Yori pulled shaky Ron to his feet and together they left the lagoon and headed back to the enclosure.

"What happened?" demanded Drakken, when he saw Yori gently sitting Ron down on a chair back in the main house.

"I was pulled in the water…in the lagoon by something…I don't know…some animal…" Ron tried to explain.

"It attacked you?" Drakken asked.

"Yes, pulled me under water! Clawed my shoulders!" Ron practically shouted. "What the hell was it anyway? I've never heard of a jaguar that's under water, or alligator that claws".

"Let's see those wounds" Drakken said rather dismissingly and helped Ron to remove his shirt. "Only scratches. Nothing we can't clean and disinfect".

Ron sat back as Drakken worked on his scratches. He looked over Drakken's shoulder and saw Yori standing there with a worried look on her face. Miss Go was standing next to her. Despite that he was still getting over the shock, Ron couldn't help but feel bad for the young girl.

"Hey, Yori, no need for long face. I'm okay now, really" he said.

When hearing this, Drakken turned around to look at Yori. He seemed to suddenly find her worry incredibly fascinating and all but forgot Ron.

"Miss Go, please bandage our quest and take him to his room to rest" he said. "I still have much work to be done". With that the doctor left, giving still one curious glance at Yori.

Ron stared the retreating strange man in confusion, when Miss Go suddenly slapped bandages on his shoulders. Rather hard.

"Ouch!"

"Oh, grow up, kiddo. What doesn't kill you simply makes you stronger" Miss Go said. "Now get up, in your room. Doctor's orders".

"You're still taking care of me, then" Ron said as he stood up.

"We'll see".

The two walked the stares up and to the room Ron was occupying. Miss Go opened the door and moved to side to let Ron walk in.

"You didn't have to walk me all the way…" Ron said as he stepped in, but stepped when the door closed behind him and he heard the key turning.

Ron tried to open the door but it was locked.

"Miss Go?"

"Sorry, kid, but this is for your own good" he heard her voice say from other side of the door. "Try to catch some sleep".

"Miss Go? Miss Go?" he shouted but heard her retreating footsteps.

#####

Hours passed.

Getting the door open turned out to be a useless effort. He didn't have any hairpins or anything like that to try and unlock the door. He was too weak to try to break it through. He had quit shouting since they either didn't hear him or ignored him. There was window of course, but Ron decided to wait until that was a must choice. He preferred not to break his legs.

Miss Go had come to bring him a bowl of fruits. Ron had considered for a moment of attacking her to make a run of it, but changed his mind when he saw the monstrosity known as Edward standing behind her.

The sun was setting when the screaming started again. Ron really couldn't take it. He didn't know what Drakken was doing to those animals but he couldn't stand it. No wonder he was on this island, the green peace would not leave him alone if they knew of him.

Ron sat on the bed, quietly chewing a pear and contemplating his situation, as well as the craziness his life had been past two weeks, when he heard quiet noise coming behind his door. Ron quickly dismissed the idea that anyone could be there, since he had not heard any footsteps.

However, to his surprise, he started hearing the scratching coming from the door right before it blew wide open. Ron stared as a small pink hairless rodent jump off from the door's lock and run across the room to the fruit bawl. It looked like one of those naked mole rats he had once seen in a documentary. Except it wasn't as freaky looking and actually had its eyes open.

The rodent stared the fruit bowl and then turned to Ron.

"Cheese?" came a low whisper.

"Wow, it's a dream. How disappointing" Ron said to himself. It was better than freaking out again.

Dream or not, Ron decided not to waste a chance but head out of the room and down the stairs to the yard. The screaming continued louder than ever. Although Ron wanted nothing more that to get away and block his ears, something about the awful sound made him stop dead in his tracks. He stood there and listened, with his heart starting to beat faster and cold sweat now forming on his forehead.

The screams didn't sound like animal anymore. It sounded like human.

_This is some seriously bad road_, Ron thought to himself but he had to know. He started walking towards the wide building next to the garden. He was just about to open the door when a hand on his shoulder nearly made him jump to the roof. He turned around to see…

"Yori? You scared me there!"

"Mustn't go in. Not in there" she said, nodding her head towards the building.

"But Yori…"

The girl shook her head violently. "No! Not in there!"

Ron could tell she meant business. Whatever was in there terrified her. But when another scream was heard Ron made up his mind.

"Stay here" he told her and quietly opened the door.

The interior was nothing like what he expected. Outside the building looked like an old warehouse, but inside it was a sterile operation room. There were computers and equipments he couldn't even name. Bright lights came from the ceilings. He saw a cabinet filled with jars filled with…whatever. A table filled glasses and bottles that had bright colored chemicals in them. The whole thing was like from a b-horror movie.

And at the end of the huge space, Ron could see Drakken and Miss Go leaning over a table. And on the table lied, what he first thought, a man. But as he looked closer he saw the man's whole body was covered in fur, he had huge claws in his fingers and the most horrible face he had ever seen. A face that was similar to those strange people working here.

Ron took a step back as a horrible idea came to his head. _He's experimenting on them. He is doing some illegal Joseph Mengele shit to these people!_

As Ron stepped further back his back hit animal cages that had been lined on the other end of the house. It so happened he hit the monkey cage and had them going crazy.

Drakken and Miss Go instantly raised their heads. Ron sprinted out of the door just as he heard Drakken shouting "After him!"

Now Ron was in panic. He could no longer think clearly, his instincts had taken over and they were shouting to get as far from those people as he could. He did not know what was in the jungle, the creature in the lagoon might not be the only surprise there, but he'd rather take his chances there than end up on that table.

Ron saw Yori and grabbed her by the arm, because being the nice guy he is he felt he could not leave her with these people. Yori didn't resist but allowed Ron to drag her with him as they ran out of the enclosure and to the shadows of the jungle.

Ron ran towards where the dock was, hoping he could take the boat and get as far from the island as he could. But they had not been running for long when he heard sound of engine catching up on them.

_The car! I'm so stupid, why didn't I think of taking it?_

Yori pushed Ron to the bushes and jumped after him, where they laid silently as the car drove past them. When they were gone Ron stood up.

"There's no way I can get past them to the boat now. Where can we go?" he muttered out loud, not knowing what to do and where to turn to.

Yori took his hand. "Come with me. I know a place" she said.

Not knowing what else to do, Ron followed the young girl into the jungle. They walked good half an hour, before arriving to a huge pit. On the bottom of it, Ron saw dozen small huts, made out of woods, stones and metals. It looked like some primitive village made by homeless people.

Yori led Ron down to pit where at first he thought they were alone. Then, one by one, the people emerged from the huts.

When Ron saw them, all he could think of was _Man, Zombie Mayhem has nothing on these_.

The approximately 20-30 people that appeared did look like people to certain point. They all stood on two legs, they all wore old clothes and they all had arms and legs. Some of them were covered by thick fur, some of them had twisted legs, some of them had snout where the nose should have been, some of them had hoofs. Some of them looked like cats, some like boars, some like monkeys and some like dogs.

Before Ron knew it, he and Yori were surrounded by these… creatures. They approached him, sniffed him and tried carefully to touch him. Amongst them one creature approached, appearing as leader. He was dressed in old robes, and his legs looked like goat's hooves and his arms were covered by hair. His face looked surprisingly much like that of an old man, with a beard and silver hair. From his hair came two horns.

For a short moment Ron thought he was in the presence of Mr. Tumnus' grandfather.

The goatman brought his hand and touched Ron's face. Ron tried to back away in panic and disgust of the awful smell, but other creatures blocked his path.

The goatman smiled. "He is a man… he is a man like us. Like us!" it said to the others.

"No. He is a man like the Master!" Yori said. "Not made, but born".

The goatman and others now looked Ron with hesitation and interest. "Born?" goatman asked.

Yori didn't have time to answer when a sudden gunshot startled everyone. Ron jumped around to see Drakken and Miss Go standing on top of the pit. Neither made any move to come down.

"Senior!" Drakken called.

The old goatman took a step forward.

"What is the law?" Drakken asked.

"Not to walk on all fours. That is the law. Are we not men?" goatman, Senior, said.

"ARE WE NOT MEN?" other creatures chorused. Ron noticed that they had all get down to their knees and looked like they were worshiping Drakken.

"What is the law?" Drakken repeated.

"Not to hunt other men. That is the law. Are we not men?" Senior said.

"ARE WE NOT MEN?" others chorused.

"What is the law?"

"Not to spill blood. That is the law. Are we not men?"

"ARE WE NOT MEN?"

Senior took another step forward and raised his hand to point Drakken. "His is the hand the makes!"

"HIS IS THE HAND THAT MAKES!" others repeated.

"His is the hand that heals!"

"HIS IS THE HAND THAT HEALS!"

"His is the House of Pain!"

"HIS IS THE HOUSE OF PAIN!"

Ron looked at Drakken and saw an expression on his face he had not seen before. Earlier he had only seen Drakken either agitated or disinterested. Now there was a creepy smile on his face and his eyes were shinning.

Drakken waved his hand and all the creatures returned back in their huts. After they had left, leaving Ron and Yori only there, Drakken and Miss Go descended to the pit.

"I wouldn't have thought of you so foolish as to venture out here after what happened to you earlier" Drakken said to Ron.

Everything that had happened went way over Ron's head, but he suddenly found need to lash back. "Now I understand why this island reeks from one end of the sea to the other! What you have done to these people is… monstrous!"

"Miss Go, give our quest your gun" Drakken said. Miss Go looked hesitant first but then gave her handgun to Ron, who took it. "You are now armed and we're not. That should make it clear I wish no harm for you. Please come back to the enclosure. It's much nicer there than here".

**To be continued…**

**Reviews are always nice. **


	4. The Doctor Explains

**Hey there! Once more I've found enough time in my life to update this little pastime fic I started. **

**Thank you for those reviewed: CajunBear73, Lorien Urbani and Andrea Churchill. Greatly appreciated. **

**Disclaimers: see chapter 1. **

CHAPTER 4: THE DOCTOR EXPLAINS

Kim Possible had earned herself a nickname "Girl-Who-Can-Do-Anything". She hadn't chosen it, she could not remember where it had come from, but it had stayed with her ever since she was 14 years old.

That was when she had become the local do-gooder in Middleton, Colorado. At first it had been little things like helping the old ladies' cats out of the tree, babysitting neighbor's children and delivering the mail. She hadn't done it because of money, even when the little sum she earned had been welcome, but because she honestly liked helping people.

When she had ended her high-school and entered college, her hobby of helping others started to take more time consuming forms. She entered the practical nurse training and started tutoring other students. The most amazing fact in this was that somehow she managed to keep up with her studies. Then again, as her father would often say, anything is possible for Possible.

Such results could not be achieved without pain however, and Kim also many times felt like burning up, shouting and screaming and giving up. It was at times like these that she would be cheered, encouraged and helped by one person very precious for her: her boyfriend Ron Stoppable.

Kim and Ron had known each other's since preschool but their intimate relationship was still relatively new. The two had become best friends almost instantly and were so for years to come, until the high school separated them momentarily. High school has its own food chain which is favorable to others and cruel to the rest. Kim was pretty, bright, sporty and had good grades. It didn't take long for her to find her place on top of the food chain and hang out with other popular students.

Ron was not as lucky. While he wasn't bad to look at, he wasn't "hotty", nor was he athlete or top student. Ron got along well enough to pass his classes, but his closest friends were the ones usually referred to as "geeks". Ron loved comics and video games, and aside of giving moral support for Kim, whom he usually referred to as KP, he had little other interest to sports.

After the first year of high school the two started drifting apart. Well, that's what they told people who asked. Truth was Kim more or less threw ten years of friendship out of the window. She did this telling herself that it was the right thing to do, that not all friendships were made to last. Ron understood this, though he couldn't understand.

They played the part of complete strangers the next year, until the summer holidays before their third year in high school. That summer Kim caught her then boyfriend Josh with a girl she had thought her friend Bonnie. Neither of the two showed any shame in the matter and laughed what a fool she had been. Kim was utterly humiliated.

And who had then showed up, not to laugh at the girl who had hurt him, but to offer support? Why, Ron of course, who still liked to consider him her friend. Kim learned that summer who her true friends were and when she returned to high school for her third year, she showed no sign of defeat for Bonnie and Josh. Instead she pushed forward with her studies and was proud to be Ron Stoppable's friend.

Their relationship didn't take the next big step until after high school. It began to dawn to them, as it had for those around them far sooner, that they were spending far more time with each other than finding people to date. Whenever one of them did have a date, the other would start to feel a rather uneasy jealousy.

It was finally Ron who spilled the beans, though he had to be rather drunk first. They had been celebrating him getting in to the cooking school he had wanted to go and had drunkenly confessed his feelings to her. When she next day asked him about this he could have said it was alcohol talking but instead admitted he had been telling the truth.

Kim could not have been happier that moment and the two had been a couple ever since.

Kim's nature of helping people had finally brought her to Asia where she had volunteered for humanitarian work. Ron had stayed in states but had promised to join her as soon as he could get out for a vacation. Kim had been excited the day his plane was supposed to arrive to Hong Kong.

The following days were the worst of her life. She anxiously waited for the news of the survivors, but when Ron had not been amongst the eight people who had been saved, her life seemed to shatter. The other workers, with whom she had befriended, did their best to keep her spirits and hopes up, but with each passing day everything seemed harder and harder for the girl who can do anything.

Then Wade Load had suddenly contacted her. Wade was young computer prodigy with whom Ron and Kim had befriended in high school. He had a social network around the globe and could contact anyone anywhere anytime. When Kim heard from him that Ron had been picked up by a vessel _Golfer_ that was on its way to Hong Kong, she was overjoyed.

You can imagine her astonishment when _Golfer_ arrived without Ron.

"What do you mean he's not with you?"

Duff Killigan, captain of _Golfer_, rubbed his brows. The last thing he had expected to find in Hong Kong was an annoying redhead American girl demanding answers from him.

"Lassie, diz thes swatch loch a passenger cruise? We dinnae hae passengers!" (1)

"Are you saying you never had him onboard?" Kim demanded. "Because a message was sent from your ship telling he had been picked up and was on his way here with you!"

Killigan wiped sweat from his forehead. So he couldn't lie about the boy then. "Ah left heem at mah first port ay caa an' that's aw aam supposed tae dae". (2)

"What port?"

Now Killigan was losing his cool. He knew he couldn't tell about the island, Miss Go was a person he didn't dare to anger. He tried to make himself look as big and tough as he could and looked down the girl.

"'at is mah business an' mine aloyn" he said. (3)

The intimidation tactic failed. Kim looked ready to introduce her fists to Killigan. "Well, maybe the American Embassy will make it their business!" she said and stormed off.

"Gie them mah regards!" Killigan shouted, trying to appear uncaring. But deep down he was worried of what might come to him now. (4)

#####

_At the Island:_

Dr. Drakken, Miss Go, Yori and Ron returned to the enclosure. When they got out of the car Drakken told Miss Go to take Yori inside. Ron still had her gun. It was in his pocket, but his hand was ready to take it any moment necessary.

Drakken stared Ron for a moment. "I suppose you'd want some sort of explanation?"

"If you think you can justify what you've done to those people in the jungle than yes, by all means do" Ron said, trying to keep calm.

"People?" Drakken asked with sudden humor in his voice. "You think they're humans?"

Now it was Ron turn to stare.

"Follow me" Drakken said and led them to garden next to the house where Ron had seen the surgery room. The garden, as Ron had noticed earlier, was filled with plants he had never seen before.

"Tell me, are you an expert of botany?" Drakken asked.

Ron shook his head.

"But I trust, you would recognize a normal dandelion when you saw one?"

"Of course" Ron said. He then looked the garden, trying to see if there were any.

"There" Drakken said and pointed a plant close to them. It was tall and had huge leaves.

"That's not a dandelion" Ron said.

"Yes it is. And those are some lilies. That's a tulip and that's orchid" Drakken said, pointing different plants, each more and more amazing looking. "The reason why you can't recognize them is because I have genetically changed them".

"Changed them?" Ron repeated.

"You saw my diploma yesterday in the house. It was granted to me for remarkable genetic engineering. I started with plants you see. I took an ordinary flower and made it turn to something amazing. There is a cell, you see, that all humans, animals and even plants share. It's a cell that controls the form we take. In the very beginning all plants and animals start out the same, yet they grow to be different looking creatures, like bears and pigs. Even human beings do not all look the same. Some are blonde, others black. You follow me so far?"

Ron only nodded, not knowing what to say.

"I began to explore how to control that cell and make things to take different shapes. It really started out as scientific interest, nothing more. Just wanting to see what all I could do. My results with the plants delighted my peers, but plants soon lost their challenge and interest to me. I wanted to try other, more complicated beings, but the idea of animal testing was too much for them. I didn't let it stop me, of course. I caught dogs and rats from the street to my house. One day however one of the dogs escaped my house and well…" Drakken laughed a bit "…it wasn't a pretty sight. Before it could be traced to me I left the states and moved to Europe. It was there that I started working with a man I had been corresponding, a certain Professor Demenz. Have you heard of him?"

"No" Ron answered.

"I suppose his name is only remembered in Germany anymore. Clearly an insane individual but clever enough to help me to perfect my serum" Drakken told.

"A serum?"

"Ah, yes. Before leaving to Europe I had operated on the animals. Very messy and never could make satisfactory results. With the serum everything is so much easier. Demenz and I created the most fantastic looking creatures. A snake with a cats head. A rabbit with horns. We even tried to create a horse with wings, but that never turned quite right. In the end I had to leave again. Demenz had gotten in trouble with local authorities. I took the serum and fled. Last I heard he was put the prison".

Ron didn't know how to react. The story Drakken was telling him sounded too fantastic to be true, but he couldn't forget the creatures he had seen in the jungle.

"Since Demenz was already in trouble it was easy for me to empty his bank account and take it with me. He had quite a nice sum of money, a family inheritance I think. With that money I managed to buy this island which didn't really belong to any specific nation and have been financing my most ambitious experiments for the past eight years now".

"And what experiments might those be?" Ron dared to ask.

"To turn normal animals into human beings".

Look of shock appeared to Ron's face. "What?"

"Those creatures you saw in the jungle. They're animals, each one of them" Drakken simply said.

Ron was now beyond shocked. He was physically incapable of reacting.

Drakken walked past him to the door. "Come with me" he said and opened the door. They entered back to the surgery room, where the dark fur covered man still laid on the operating table.

"My creations have named this place the House of Pain. They remember the pain of transformation they've experienced here and they fear this place. It was easy to make the law to control them. If they break it they'll end up back here" Drakken explained as he moved closer to the table.

Ron didn't dare to come too close. "How exactly do they break the law?" he asked.

"Oh, by hunting and killing, walking on all fours, spilling blood. Being animals. They reduce back to animals so easily. If not the law they wouldn't stay as what they are even for a week. Of course I soon discovered how hard controlling them was" Drakken said and pointed the scar below his right eye. "Thankfully I happened to meet Miss Go. Her full name, if you're wondering, is Lee She-Go. She's a half-American half-Korean mercenary who got herself in such bad businesses that she can't enter American or European soil anymore. Or really any other civilized place either" he laughed. "I guess that's why she stays more than anything".

"What is he then?" Ron asked, carefully looking the creature tied to the table.

"A bear. Though he looks nothing like that anymore right?" Drakken smiled. "I think I shall call him Eric. Don't you think it's a good name?" Drakken asked, though he seemed to be talking now more to himself than to Ron.

There was a sudden noise behind them and they both turned around. The pink creature Ron had seen earlier in his room was walking through the table.

"You've already met Rufus, I take it. He's a naked mole rat, only one I've used. Rodents are so small, very difficult to get good results" Drakken said.

Ron started the pink creature and remembered how clearly it had spoken earlier. "But he…it…whatever speaks! They all speak!"

Now Drakken was grinning. "Exactly! My greatest achievement was to make them speak and understand words. But let me tell you, it takes time. It always takes so much time to make them speak" doctor said with a tired look on his face. Then an almost sly smile appeared. "One day I'll make a woman and it'll be easier" he laughed.

Ron turned from staring the pink creature named Rufus, back to the doctor. "You've not made any… women?"

"As of yet, no. And there has been no need so far. For Miss Go's and Yori's sake we castrate these guys before letting them out to woods".

Ron turned his back to Drakken. This all was way too weird to be taken in. It was beyond wrong-sick for him. Wiping cold sweat from his forehead he turned back to Drakken. "Why?"

"Pardon?"

"Why do you do this? If you're so brilliant you can… create these creatures, why are you on this island with your little animal kingdom? Why haven't you tried to do something more practical?"

For a moment Drakken only stared Ron, as if the answer to that question should be obvious. Then he frowned. "Oh, you don't understand. You couldn't possibly. Not until you'd done it yourself".

Ron looked confused, when suddenly an odd expression appeared to Drakken's face. He seemed to stare somewhere far off.

"You do not know" Drakken said slowly "what it means to feel like God".

Ron didn't dare to say anything, as Drakken seemed to have mentally wondered of somewhere else. However he soon noticed Ron again and walked him out of the House of Pain.

"You must be exhausted. I do trust there won't be any more foolish escape attempts. They wouldn't do any good for you. We shall discuss of means to return you back to society tomorrow" Drakken said and watched as Ron, only nodding, walked back towards his room.

"One more thing" Drakken shouted after him.

Ron turned around to see Drakken watching him with what could only be described as a sadistic smile.

"Sleep well" Drakken said and returned to his surgery house.

Ron did sleep that night, but not well.

**To be continued…**

**Once more thanks to Lorien Urbani for her "Scottish" translations. **

1:"Lassie, does this look like a passenger cruise? We do not have passengers!"

2: "I left him on my first port of call and that's all I'm supposed to do".

3: "That is my business and mine alone"

4: "Give them my regards!"

**That's it for now. Till next time! **


	5. Punishment

**Hello!**

**Thank you for those who reviewed the last chapter. Much appreciated. **

**Disclaimers: see chapter 1. **

CHAPTER 5: PUNISHMENT

Having woken up from a restless sleep, Ron was more than eager to discuss with Dr. Drakken of how he'd get away from the island. However, the doctor had locked himself in his laboratory, the House of Pain, and so Ron was left waiting till evening.

"Or whenever he decides to take a break" Miss Go said. "Sometimes he works for days without rest". Strangely she hadn't asked her gun back, which Ron still kept with himself for protection.

Since he had no desire to venture outside of enclosure anymore, Ron was forced to find ways to kill time. There were only two things that could calm him down: cooking and Kim. And since latter was not an option…

Ron entered to kitchen. He found that Drakken had an impressive collection of fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices and some fish, but no meat. Then again, the law he had created for his mutants clearly stated that eating meat was bad, so perhaps Drakken didn't want to take the risk of it getting to them.

Ron started chopping vegetables, heating the pan and adding spices. He really wasn't following any recipes, just doing what felt like right. No one had ever complained about his food before. While working a small movement caught his attention. Ron turned and saw the pink rodent he had seen previous day in his room and later in Drakken's laboratory. It looked at him with strikingly human like gaze.

Ron wasn't sure if he had simply taken the leave of his senses or if thing simply looked different in daylight, but he had to admit, that rat was rather adorable.

"Cheese?" the rodent squeaked.

Ron raised an eyebrow. He took a piece of cheese from the table and handed it to the animal. The rodent took the cheese, not with his mouth but with his pawns and started eating happily.

"You like cheese then?" Ron asked, not really sure why he was talking to … it? Him?

"Yep. Yum" the small creature squeaked.

"Well, at least you have a good taste then" Ron smiled.

"His name is Rufus".

Ron turned around to see Yori standing shyly at the doorway. She had her shoulders drawn back and head forward, as if she was planning to leap. For a moment Ron considered the strange, incredibly flexible movements he had seen Yori could do… and her apparent strength when she had saved him in the lagoon.

Maybe she too is…

But no, wait. What had Drakken said yesterday? He had only used male creatures. And unlike any of the other _inhabitants_ of the island, Yori showed no sign of deformity or abnormality in her.

Ron smiled. "You two know each others then?"

"Rufus often sneaks in the kitchen to find something to eat. Miss Go doesn't like it. She often tries to catch Rufus but he is too fast" Yori said, with a small smile on his face.

"Want something to eat?" Ron said awkwardly. "It's not much, just vegetable stew ala Stoppable".

Yori sat down the table as Ron put some to platter. She ate a little and gave him a smile.

"Like it then? Good. Don't tell anyone but I'm about to let you in on a secret. Chefs are like human beings. They like to be complimented" Ron whispered and gave a conspirator smile.

Yori smiled back though it was obvious she hadn't understood the humor.

Ron shrugged, feeling a bit awkward suddenly. "Soooooooo, Yori…how long have you been on this island, actually?"

Yori thought for a moment. "Always" she finally said.

Ron blinked. "You can't have been here always. You're what? 19? 20? Drakken said he's been here for only 8 years".

Yori looked down. "I don't…remember much before coming here. I remember faces".

"Faces?"

"Children. I remember they smiled and looked at me".

"Was it in school maybe?" Ron pushed.

"School?" Yori asked, confused.

_Obviously not then. _"Did you play with them? The other children, I mean."

"No. I wasn't allowed outside the cage" Yori said.

Ron didn't find his food so tasty anymore. _Cage? Now that I think of it Drakken said something about buying her. Was she a child slave? Victim of human trafficking? _

Ron tried again. "Do you remember you parents?"

"All I remember is the cage. Then this place".

"Didn't you have any friends?"

Yori only gave a blank confused look.

Ron couldn't help himself. He had often been said to possess a heart too big for his own good and maybe people were right, but he couldn't stop. He stood up, walked to Yori and hugged her.

Yori stiffened instantly. Ron hoped he wasn't being too inappropriate. Since Yori was neither trying to leave nor telling him to stop he remained as he was. After a moment or two Yori seemed to relax and rested her head on his shoulder.

"If you want, Yori, we can be friends" Ron said.

He wasn't sure if Yori was listening for she didn't answer, or indicate in any way that she had heard him. Slowly, very slowly, she moved her face from his shoulder, to the side of his head. And before he could react, she moved her tongue across his cheek.

Ron's eyes flew open from surprise. This kind of reaction he had not expected. He turned to look at Yori, whose mouth was open and who was looking at him with an expression that was either hopeful or horrified.

Ron was about to stutter something when his eyes locked on her mouth. For the first time Ron saw Yori's teeth. They were sharp. All of them. A full row of incredibly sharp teeth.

Yori seemed to notice that he had saw her teeth. Her eyes winded incredibly open, her hands flew to cover her mouth and with a dash she disappeared from the kitchen, leaving Ron standing there with dumbfound look on his face.

"Oh boy" Rufus squeaked from the table.

Ron was shaking, but not out of shock or fear. He was shaking out of something that he rarely felt. Fury.

He stormed out, walked straight to Drakken's work place, the House of Pain, and marched in, kicking the door open in the process. Drakken was at the operating table, where his newest creation Eric laid in straps. He raised his head to see furious Ron.

"Now, now. Didn't Miss Go tell you that we'd speak of ways to get you out of here later?" Drakken said in a distracted tone.

"Yesterday I feared you're insane, but I was wrong. You are evil" Ron said, walking to Drakken.

"Evil? That is a very unscientific word. What brought this up?"

"Those creatures in the jungle were horrible enough. But what you've done to… to that girl is criminal!"

Drakken's face showed no emotion as he returned Ron's stare. "Yori?"

"Yes, Yori! She is one of your creations as well, isn't she? Those others I might have been able to overlook! I could have showed that much consideration. But not now. What you've done to her I can't overlook. I will expose you. I'll tell everyone what you're doing here!" Ron declared and turned around.

"You're leaving then? How? By swimming? There are sharks in the water, you know" Drakken said.

Ron stopped. In his anger he had forgotten he didn't actually have a way to leave.

"Sit down and calm yourself. We may as well speak openly since you know little Yori's secret".

The younger man turned around to look at the scientist he had become to loath. Drakken merely gave a little self-satisfied smile as Ron sat down to a spare chair.

"To answer to your question" Drakken started "yes, Yori is one of my creations. The only one whom I've been able to bring so close to being a human. I thought that after her bringing others as close to humanity would be a piece of cake, but for some reason she is the only one who has been able to maintain her human form. Others very quickly deteriorated to more… well, you did see them last night. I've been keeping Yori here in the enclosure to see how long she can keep her human like appearance".

"Last night you said you've only made male creatures. Why did you lie about that?" Ron asked.

"Scientific interest, of course".

"What?"

"Well, you see, while in enclosure Yori has always been very withdrawn. She is scared of both me and Miss Go. Who can blame her really, we are rather intimidating. But the day you came here her attitude changed. She talked to you. Asked questions herself, without me telling her to. She has taken a clear interest in you" Drakken explained.

Ron took a deep breath. "And this is scientifically interesting because…?"

"Well naturally I wanted to see how much of a human she is. Is she able to have human like emotions, like caring and love? Will she be able to have children? And what kind of children would those be?"

Ron stared the man. "Come again?"

"Well, you are a young man and Yori is, and I say this proudly as her creator, a beautiful former panther. I thought for once to let nature take its course and see what happens".

Before either of them realized what was happening, Ron had stood up and punched Drakken in the face so hard he actually fell to his back.

"You are beyond evil, you're twisted! I knew that there was some major bad road on this island but you've build a whole freeway of it!"

Drakken held his other hand on his nose and stared up at Ron. "Huh?"

"You know what I should do? I should take this gun right now" Ron said and pulled out Miss Go's gun "and just shoot you right here!"

"Calm down. You are incredibly unscientific young man" Drakken said as he stood up.

Ron was about to say something back when Miss Go suddenly burst in the doors. Either she didn't notice or, more likely, didn't care that Ron was holding her gun and Drakken was wiping blood out of his nose. She walked between them and spoke to doctor.

"Dr D, we have a serious problem here".

"What, more serious than him playing interracial pimp?" Ron asked.

Miss Go paid no mind to him, instead she put a mangled corpse of a rabbit to the table. "I found it in the woods. There're probably more of them. They've been eaten".

Drakken stared the dead rabbit for a while and then his face changed to that of frustrated and angry.

"Why won't they just stay as I want them to stay?" he shouted, picked the dead rabbit and left the laboratory with Miss Go.

"Excuse me!" Ron shouted walking behind them, feeling a bit offended that his outrage of having been paired with a panther was ignored.

Drakken turned to him. "Yes, you should come along, with the gun and all. Always need extra hands with these cases" he said absently.

Realizing he was not going to get anywhere this way, Ron got in the car with Drakken and Miss Go as they drove out of the enclosure. A short time later they arrived to the jungle village of Drakken's creations. Miss Go pulled a gun – _so that's why she didn't ask me to return this one_, Ron thought – and fired a shot in the air.

The creatures appeared from their little huts and gathered around. The goatman from last night, Senior, approached Drakken.

"What is the law?" Drakken asked.

"Not to walk on all fours. That is the law. Are we not men?"

"ARE WE NOT MEN?" the other repeated once more, on their knees.

Ron turned around to see Miss Go taking a rifle out of the car, loading it with darts.

"What is the law?"

"Not to hunt other men. That is the law. Are we not men?"

"ARE WE NOT MEN?"

"What is the law?"

"Not to spill blood. That-"

"Stop!" Drakken shouted harshly. He raised the dead rabbit for all to see. "That law has been broken".

All the creatures seemed to be startled by the sight of the dead rabbit, as well as the knowledge of someone having broken their law.

"Who? Who amongst you has spilled blood?" Drakken demanded.

The creatures looked each others and moved uncomfortably. Drakken's posture had become very tense and he never moved his eyes from the creatures. Miss Go had the rifle ready.

The creatures finally seemed to come to conclusion and all of their heads turned to look one specific animal. Ron looked at it also. It was covered in green scales and had webbing in hands and feet. It had very sharp teeth and red eyes. Ron realized he had seen those eyes before, in the lagoon. This creature had been the one to attack him and Ron had no doubt in his mind it was also responsible for killing the rabbits.

"Gill, come forward" Drakken spoke with a calm and cold voice.

The said creature, Gill, took few unsure steps forward, glancing towards other creatures as if asking for help. They gave him none.

Drakken pointed at Gill. "He who breaks the law must go the House of Pain!"

"HE WHO BREAKS THE LAW MUST GO TO THE HOUSE OF PAIN!" others repeated.

Gill's fearful eyes turned from Drakken to Miss Go and back. And then he spotted Ron. Something changed then, his eyes turned from scared to furious. He growled, tensed and leaped forward, just when Miss Go's shot her rifle. The dart missed Gill by inches and hit the ground.

"After him!" Drakken shouted as Gill disappeared to the jungle. The other creatures chased after him.

"After him?" Miss Go shouted back. "He's faster than either of us and could be anywhere in the jungle. You know the jungle in which our car can't get into?"

"Have you forgotten that we are dealing with animals, Miss Go? When hunted they'll always go for their own territories. And Gill's territory is easy to guess; something with lots of water".

Not long after they had drove back towards enclosure and stopped in front of the path that led to lagoon. As they walked towards it Ron couldn't help but remember the last time he had been here. It was quite unsettling. He took the gun he still had and made sure it was loaded. He had never actually shot with a gun but he knew enough how to use it.

The lagoon was as calm and undisturbed as Ron remembered it. Drakken and Miss Go looked around.

"Could he already be in there?" Ron asked, pointing the water.

"No, the other ones went after him. If he's gotten here already they'd be here as well" Miss Go said.

"Let's start walked then. We should run into them sooner or later" Drakken said and three headed to jungle.

It didn't take long when they met the other creatures that had formed a circle. Drakken pushed through them.

"Alright, is Gill here, we need to…oh".

Gill was there indeed. He was lying on the ground, moaning and twitching and had a long branch going into his stomach.

"He must have been running with such speed he didn't see the branch in time" Miss Go said.

"Or maybe he tried committing a suicide. I'd be delighted if that was the case, it's a very human thing to do" Drakken spoke, while looking down on suffering creature.

Ron couldn't bear to look at the suffering creature. "Can't you just put him out of his misery?" he asked.

"Now, why on earth would I do that? All of these test subjects are important to me. No, we'll take him to laboratory and see if he's beyond saving. If I can't return him here I can always use him as a test subject for new serums" the scientist answered without a hint of sympathy.

A strange monkeylike creature dressed in black clothes and covered in black fur started to circle wounded Gill.

"Monty, stay away from there, we will try to move him" Drakken said.

As Drakken and Miss Go shooed the monkey creature away, Ron still watched the miserable creature on the ground and went over in his head what a sad existence was waiting for it.

Gill moved his head a bit and made eye contact with Ron. "No more… house… of pain…" it rasped out.

Ron couldn't even remember making a decision in his head or moving his arm. All he knew that the next thing he was aiming his gun on Gill and pulling the trigger.

The silence that followed the gunshot seemed to last forever, as Drakken, all his creatures and Miss Go all stared Ron who was staring his hand and the smoking gun he was holding. Gill lay dead on the ground, his lifeless eyes staring him.

The first one to start moving was the monkeyman, Monty, who swayed his arms from side to side and stared at Ron with a glare of anger and hate. Then he raised his hairy hand and pointed Ron.

"He has killed! He has broken the law!" Monty shouted.

The goatman Senior continued. "He who breaks the law must go to the House of Pain!"

"HE WHO BREAKS THE LAW MUST GO TO THE HOUSE OF PAIN!"

Ron dropped the gun to the ground and stared with growing terror the heated gazes the animal people gave to him. They all looked ready to rip him to pieces.

He didn't hear anyone moving behind him, but he did feel the hit before he blacked out.

###

Ron came around little by little. The first thing he became aware of was how thirsty he was. Then that he was lying on something hard and couldn't move.

"Do not try to move. You have been tied down so it's useless".

Ron tried turning his head to the source of voice. He saw Drakken working on a table filled with bottles of different colored chemicals. He was typing something to an old computer. It was only then Ron realized he was in Drakken's laboratory.

"Do not try to speak either. I have injected in you a sedative of my own design that has taken away you ability to form words for time being. Do not worry though. You'll be able to scream alright".

_Scream?_

"Yes, my young uninvited quest" Drakken said as he finally left the table and came to stand beside the table Ron was on. "I was quite upset about the stunt you pulled in the jungle. Killing Gill like that. Whatever possessed you to do that? Was it pity? Did you pity him? Another emotion I've never been able to understand. What use is pity anyway?"

_Scream? Why would I scream? What is he on about?_

"However, I didn't stay upset for long. After all the situation did turn to my advantage soon enough. You see, the law I made my creations to obey is the thing that keeps order on this island. If my creations ever lose their absolute faith in it chaos would break out. And I cannot allow that to happen. So you see, I must punish you for breaking the law".

_I sense bad road. Really bad road. _

"They're in the jungle now, just outside the enclosure, just waiting to hear you scream. When they hear it they'll know the law has been carried out and they'll be happy. And I have been granted a chance to try something I have only dreamed of for so long: human testing!" Drakken ranted with a joyful voice.

"I've never had the chance before. When I came to this island my experiments with animals were still very primitive, I didn't even dream of using humans. But since then I have. Problem is smuggling humans to this island is risky and I'm too afraid of Miss Go to even suggest anything like that to her. But now here you are, delivered to me on a silver platter".

_Please don't… don't do this…_

"So what shall it be? Do you have a favourite animal of your own choosing? A lion? A bear? A crocodile?" Drakken spoke as he went back to the table and got an syringe.

"Ah, but I have something special here just for you. How does a panther sound like? By coincidence exactly the kind Yori is. We'll see if you'll warm to her after getting close to your…animal side. Perhaps later you can tell me also what it's like, to lose ones humanity and become completely primitive beast. As a scientist I find that fascinating".

Drakken lowered the syringe and while Ron couldn't see it, he felt it stinging his neck.

"This will only hurt a little bit. What comes next… more so".

Ron could only stare the roof and pray this was all some gigantic nightmare he would soon wake up from. He couldn't understand why this was happening to him. He had always been good. He felt his breathing quickening as a warm feeling spread his entire body.

And then he felt pain unlike anything before.

**To be continued…**

**Reviews are highly appreciated. **


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